Community's generosity helps make holidays bright for everyone

Welcome back!

It has been a while since we communicated.

I always try to give you a piece of information you can't find anywhere else, so here it is. Mark Jan. 22 on your television-watching calendar for the episode of the Extreme Home Makeover episode that was shot here.

This date is subject to change, but this is the date ABC television is telling everyone.

As most of you who read this column regularly know, my wife, Marlisa, broke her left foot during the Labor Day weekend chasing after our dog. She has been through three months of rehab following surgery.

In the meantime, I have had the opportunity to pick up the slack and be more of a Mr. Mom to Austin, 10, and Olivia, 5, than I have in the past.

Dare I write this? Marlisa's broken foot has been one of the best things that has happened to our family. Well, except for the $2,000 doctor bill, the excruciating pain she went through and the fact she couldn't leave the bed or couch for two months. Other than that? Good stuff.

This family crisis brought my mother-in-law and father-in-law to the rescue. Again. Blaine and Nancy Piatt immediately made sure the house didn't disintegrate and made sure their grandchildren were fed, clothed, bathed and attended school regularly.

Unfortunately, they remember this hapless bachelor who 15 years ago subsisted on cheap boxes of macaroni and cheese, oatmeal, store-brand condensed soup and couldn't keep house to save his life. They weren't about to have two overly yellow and orange complected grandkids who would be fed macaroni and cheese three meals a day.

I'll be forever grateful that we live so close to the Piatts. They are much more than just grandpa and grandma to us. Austin and his grandfather are best friends and Olivia knows grandma is always sewing something or baking something and always has time for a little helper.

So, suffice to say this column was shelved for a time. In its place, I spent more time than I ever have dropping kids off at school and picking them up.

Even though I was helping to coach Austin's soccer team, I found myself slowing down to enjoy even more time together. Instead of hauling a carload of kids to away soccer games in Moscow and Coeur d'Alene, I worked it out so it was just the two of us.

I even helped coach Olivia's soccer team for three games.

While I always enjoy dropping Austin off at school, I especially looked forward to dropping Olivia off at Miss Kathy's St. Francis Preschool and Kindergarten. It's a magical place.

This kindergarten class is full of our future leaders and decision makers, I can tell. The mostly five-year-olds are always on the lookout for an opportunity to sing. Happy birthday is always a big hit.

My birthday was Sept. 15. As Olivia and I arrived at her class she told a friend that it was her Dad's birthday. Within two seconds I was being serenaded by the cutest kindergartners who were giving a heart-felt rendition of their favorite tune.

I thanked them and was on my way with a little extra bounce in my step.

When I arrived at noon to pick up Olivia, one of the ringleaders, Sam, spotted me coming around the corner and led the class in the happy birthday song. Twice in one day, not bad.

On Friday, Olivia and I were running a little late so Austin basically rolled out of the car at his school and we rushed into Olivia's class. Miss Kathy had just gathered her troops in her signature circle when we arrived.

"Look, its Olivia's Dad again!" one of the urchins screamed. Before anyone could bat an eyelash it was happy birthday song time for Olivia's Dad … again. At noon, it was time for one more Happy Birthday song. After the weekend, though, the birthday song disappeared but it was fun while it lasted.

How can anyone have a bad day after being sung to by angels? I would recommend it to anyone to be serenaded by these children.

In fact, if you want to see these kindergartners in action, stop by Panhandle State Bank this Friday at 11 a.m. They are performing all of your favorite Christmas carols and might even sing Happy Birthday as a request.

Our online question this week is: "Which is a more appropriate greeting this time of year? Merry Christmas or happy holidays or whatever feels right?" Vote online at bonnercountydailybee.com.

Last week's question:

Would you knowingly hire a person with a criminal past? Last week, 206 people voted in the poll. Of those, 60.7 percent answered it depends; 29.6 percent answered no and 9.7 percent answered yes.

See KEYES, Page 12

Good luck and happy trails to Susan Drumheller. Susan has left the Spokesman-Review and is now a staffer with the Idaho Conservation League, I have been told. Susan, who was not contacted by me for this, was one of the few class acts left in the crumbling Spokane Spokesman-Review North Idaho bureau.

In the wake of the Review's declining readership, anti-North Idaho bias and a lack of a connection to any community, Susan is just the latest in a long line of good people who either jumped ship or was pushed.

She ruffled a few feathers and raised a few eyebrows with her reporting and was one of the best reporters covering this region.

I'm glad, for her sake, she didn't make a move into the food service industry.

A little while back, Susan and I volunteered to wait tables at Ivano's as part of a fund-raiser for the VAST program. As we were being briefed, Susan diligently wrote down the daily specials, quizzed everyone about proper etiquette and was genuinely nervous about waiting tables.

I sensed her fear … so I immediately went off to bus tables and to watch her from afar.

A group of four hungry hunters came in and they were in Susan's section.

Since I was witnessing from a safe distance, I had to piece the rest of this together.

Hunter A ordered the veal special. Hunters B, C and D all ordered different Italian dishes. This part is a guess, but this took place in Ivano's so I'm assuming they ordered Italian.

Susan dutifully wrote down the order and numbered the patrons so she could remember for serve the right dish to the right hunter. She wrote it like this: 1 Veal special. 2 Italian dish. 3 Italian dish. 4 Italian dish.

The experienced kitchen staff followed her order and cooked up 10 dinners, when what she meant was customer number one ordered the veal while customers 2-4 ordered one Italian dish each which equals four orders.

As the orders piled up and the 10 plates were ready to be served, the math issue surfaced in Susan's brain.

"Omigod!" she exclaimed after she realized she had ordered enough food to feed a small, Indian village. "I'll pay for this … really."

Everyone in the kitchen smiled, shrugged and dug into the six extra orders.

I'm guessing this is the first time a typographical error ever fed an entire kitchen crew and two journalists. She also had a good shot at being voted as employee of the month at Ivano's as voted on by the kitchen staff.

Good luck, Susan.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in and around Sandpoint. One thing I miss, though, are the lighted reindeer that use to adorn the Connie's overpass on Fourth Avenue. The overpass disappeared a few years back and I noticed Rudolph and his buddies are now on the north wall of the hotel. Still not the same.

The Christmas season is fully under way. So far, Holly Eve, Kinderhaven's Festival of Trees and other seasonal fund-raisers have all exceeded last year's goals. Have you noticed? The needs have increased, too.

The Lions Club Toys for Tots drive can always use help as the Food Bank can always use food or money.

This community's generosity never ceases to amaze me.

Merry Christmas to the Hebert family. This heart-warming story about how a brother came to the rescue of his niece and nephew after his sister died will soon be featured on ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition changed the lives of this family and brought this community together in a positive way. It's also a wonderful idea and makes for great television.

There are a few people who have expressed dismay about the excess in generosity Sullivan Homes, 2,000 volunteers, a local committee and others exhibited toward the Heberts.

That's hard to take.

There will always be people in need. There will always be people who help those in need. There will always be people who won't help. Worse, there will always be people who won't help and will begrudge those who do and will look suspiciously at those who receive the help.

Extreme Makeover allowed a lot of us to define who we are from the above list.

First American Title Company hit a homerun again this year for the best office Christmas party. Sandpoint's old library was dressed up in seasonal finery. Every Realtor in town was there and the hoorah has earned a place in the "must attend" category.

E-mail of the week:

Keep these facts in mind:

As you open your pockets for yet another natural disaster, keep these facts in mind:

Marsha J. Evans, president and CEO of the American Red Cross… salary for year ending 06/30/03 was $651,957 plus expenses.

Brian Gallagher, president of the United Way receives a $375,000 base salary, plus numerous expense benefits.

The Salvation Army's Commissioner Todd Bassett receives a salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 billion dollar organization.

No further comment necessary.

David Keyes is publisher of the Daily Bee. His column runs weekly.